2010 Reebok Boston Games Recap: Bernard Lagat Runs 13:11.50 to Crush Men's 5000m American Record

By LetsRun.com
February 6, 2010
(Race by Race Recaps from Jess Barton and Ashley Wolf)
*Results
*RRW: Lagat Rocks the Reggie With American 5-k Record
*Lagat Photo Gallery

Bernard Lagat intends to gradually move away from the mile and focus on the 5000m and he wasted no time in making his first run over 5000m in 2010 a huge success as he ran 13:11.50 to smash Galen Rupp's year old American record of 13:18.12. Lagat got the narrow win over Ethiopians Dejen Gebremeskel and Bekana Daba at the Reebok Boston Games.

The Golden Boy, Galen Rupp, was a very respectable fourth in 13:14.21, nearly four seconds faster than his previous American record. Rupp had been battling a head cold this week but was cleared to run. He pushed the pace from 4000m to 2 laps to go as chronicled in the official LetsRun.com Message Board thread on the race.

LetsRun.com message board poster piedmontcat summed it up best. "Men's USA distance is officially at an all-time high. 13:11 and 13:14 in the same race, indoors, in early February is just insanely unbelievable.

We could realistically have 6 guys under 13 mins this summer!!"

(We have detailed race by race recaps below)

Other Action
In other action, Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis, who missed the entire 2009 outdoor season with an injury, returned to action in his first pro-race in nearly a year with a 3:55.26 win in the men's mile over Will Leer, David Torrence, and Leo Manzano. (Willis had done a 1:54, 8:28 double on January 6th and a 1:52.6 and 8:15.1 double on January 22nd in a low key meet in New Zealand. Willis ran 3:53.54 to win here last year).

World beater Tirunesh Dibaba ran 14:44.53 to win the women's 5000m exhibition race (there were 3 finishers), Terrence Trammell ran a 7.49 meet record in the hurdles, and Kenia Sinclair upset Anna Willard Pierce (winner of 2 Golden League 800s in 2009 and a LetsRun.com AOY nominee) in the women's 1000m

Race by Race Recaps:

Mens 5,000 meters: Bernard Lagat Smashes American Record for Win in 13:11.50, Rupp Breaks Old Record as Well

(Rupp jumped off the track minutes before the race to go pee outside.)

Lagat has added to his Millrose Mile record last week with a thrilling win and new American record tonight in the 5,000 meters. Lagat threw in a unmatchable last lap and crossed the line in 13:11.50.

The race went out fast, with the pacers leading the runners through at American record pace, 13:18.12 held by Galen Rupp. The runners got into a single file position after the first lap and besides a few small changes maintained their positions for the majority of the race.

400 meters was passed in 62.5, 800 meters was in 2:06 and at the 1,000 meter mark the pacers brought the runners through in 2:37.7. The American record pace is 2:40 through 1,000 meters, so the runners were well on their way to a great time. The pace was right on through 1,600 meters in 4:14.19, with record pace at 4:15. At this point Lagat was sitting in third place behind the two pacers and Rupp was in the middle of the pack in seventh place.

With 11 laps to go Rupp made a move into third place, which brought the already excited stands to their feet. 3,000 meters was passed in 8:02.39, slightly over the 8:00 record pace. Lagat was forced to do the majority of the work after the pacers dropped off, luckily for him this did not seem to phase him at all.

It was Fun while it lasted:

Rupp made his second move of the day with five laps to go, this time surging into the lead as the crowd rose to their feet. With three laps to go it was a five person race, two Americans and three Ethiopians. With Rupp pushing the pace as the new leader the pace picked up by three seconds.

The final laps had the crowd screaming on their feet and this seemed to propel the runners forward. Lagat, who had been sitting behind Rupp, threw in a huge surge to go for the win and lead the pack going into the final lap. He flew on the last lap and it paid of as he ran a new American record. Rupp also broke his old American record, finishing in 13:14.21 for fourth place.

More Coverage
*RRW: Lagat Rocks the Reggie With American 5-k Record

1	Bernard Lagat		USA	13:11.50
2	Dejen Gebremeskel		ETH	13:11.78				[13:11.772]
3	Bekana Daba		ETH	13:11.78				[13:11.778]
4	Galen Rupp		USA	13:14.21
5	Markos Geneti		ETH	13:18.64
6	Shadrack Korir		KEN	13:26.82
7	Josphat Boit		KEN	13:27.42
8	Bobby Curtis		USA	13:36.00
9	Haron Lagat		KEN	13:36.59
10	Scott Overall		GBR	13:47.09
DNF	Reid Coolsaet		CAN
DNF	Ian Burrell		USA
DNF	Adam Perkins		USA
DNF	Kyle Miller		USA

Mens Mile: Nick Willis Returns in Style, Will Leer Pushes Him to Line

The Men's mile was another quality field, featuring Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis. The surprise of the race happened to be Will Leer, who threw in a huge surge with two laps to go and challenged Willis until the line.

Adam Perkins took double duties as a pace maker, leading the runners through in 56.9 for 400 meters, with about a 5 meter lead on the pack. Perkins dropped off at 600 meters and David Krummenacker took control of the pace.

Krummenacker brought the runners through the 800 meter mark in 1:56.4, with Willis looking smooth in third place and Leo Manzano sitting in fourth place. Krummenacker dropped off at the 1,000 meter mark and the runners started racing in earnest.

With two laps to go Leer moved into the front and Willis matched his move. The leaders passed through 1,200 meters in 2:59.0, with Manzano in third place.

With 200 meters to go Lear and Willis had a slight lead on the rest of the pack, with Manzano maintaining his third place position.

The race really began with 150 meters to go as Willis flew by Leer looking very strong. Leer was not to be dropped though and pushed Willis through to the line. Willis broke the tape in 3:55.26 with Lear a half step behind in 3:55.66. The race produced six runners under the 4 minute barrier.

This was Willis' first real race back since having hip surgery and he said “It's just awesome to be back.” Willis said he was hoping to run a faster time but was really glad to have the opportunity to compete with the other runners. “I planned to get out in front and time trial it but the way the race played out I didn't need to and it was actually more fun that way,” said Willis. “It felt good to be back in competition.”

Willis was feeling the effects of a hard effort after the race and said, “I've been doing all my training on my own the past couple of months... I feel horrible now because I haven't been able to push myself.”

Place	Athlete Name		Affiliation	Time
1	Nick Willis		NZL	3:55.26
2	Will Leer		USA	3:55.66
3	David Torrence		USA	3:56.69
4	Leo Manzano		USA	3:56.82
5	Garrett Heath		USA	3:57.34
6	Tim Bailey		GBR	3:59.75
7	Henok Legesse		ETH	4:02.12
8	Jacob Hernandez		USA	4:04.24
9	Jon Pierce		USA	4:06.98
10	Tom Osborne		NZL	4:07.44
DNF	Dan Huling		USA
DNF	David Krummenacker		USA
DNF	Adam Perkins		USA

Women's 1000m Sinclair Upsets Pierce

Featuring Anna Pierce, undefeated in 2009 at 800m, this race was touted as an American record attempt for the American in her first race this year. For Pierce though, a record was never the goal, and as the rabbit sped out, the talented field hung back, tightly bunched. With 400 m to go, Erin Donahue bolted from last to first on the back stretch and only Pierce followed her. At the bell, Pierce pushed for the win with Donahue close behind. However, Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica had crept back into contact and edged past them both in the last 50 meters to steal the win from Pierce by .14.

“The last 50 I needed a little more juice,” Pierce admitted. “I think I need a few more weeks and by USAs I’ll be ready to go.”

Donahue wished she had been a bit more aggressive from the start, but enjoyed her first trip to the Boston Indoor Games.

“I made a strong move but Anna countered,” Donahue said. “It’s the most competitive field I’ve run against in a while, I’m pretty pleased.”

(It's not too late to vote for Anna Willard as the 2009 LetsRun.com AOY)

1	Kenia Sinclair		JAM	2:38.62
2	Anna Pierce		USA	2:38.76
3	Erin Donohue		USA	2:38.98
4	Morgan Uceny		USA	2:40.07
5	Treniere Moser		USA	2:41.89
6	Alice Schmidt		USA	2:43.20
DNF	Karen Shinkins		IRL

Women’s 5000m: Tirunesh Dibaba Excites Ethiopian Fans

World record pace for Tirunesh Dibaba never materialized, but the Ethiopian fans went nuts anyway. With just two other women in the field, Sally Kipyego and Aheza Kiros, Dibaba ran to an uncontested win. Kipyego was ecstatic with an unexpected PR of 14:52.67. At 3000 m, she was still within 10 meters of Dibaba, but the double Olympic champion began to pull away shortly thereafter. Kipyego, sporting an Oregon Track Club singlet, has adjusted well to training in Eugene.

“I’m really excited,” Kipyego said. “I just went there, I didn’t really put a time out there, I just wanted to see where my fitness was.”

1	Tirunesh Dibaba		ETH	14:44.53
2	Sally Kipyego		KEN	14:52.67
3	Aheza Kiros		ETH	15:28.28
DNF	Marina Muncan		SRB
DNF	Korene Hinds		JAM

Women’s 3k: Gezahegn Wins, Rowbury 3rd

The pace went out slow, as no one would keep with the rabbit, and the field clocked a 4:50 mile with Britain’s Barbara Parker leading, followed closely by Christin Wurth-Thomas, Shannon Rowbury, Kalkidan Gezahegn and Genzebe Dibaba. At 1800 m, Gezahegn made a break from the field with Dibaba following closely. Shannon Rowbury quickly caught up and tailed the two Ethiopians for the remainder of the race. In the end, just a second separated the three, after a final lap of 30 seconds. The order never changed, with Gezahegn the winner in 8:46.19, and Dibaba holding off Rowbury, 8:47.01 to 8:47.18.

Rowbury, who has been almost exclusively training for the 1500m, found the 3k pace almost awkwardly slow, but was happy with her ability to mix it up with the Ethiopians.

“It was a good race,” she said. “It was fun to practice running tough and keeping myself in the race as long as I could.”

Sarah Hall led a chase pack of herself and Parker and ended up fifth, edging out Hannah England who topped her last week at Millrose.

“I wish I’d committed earlier to that move,” she said of her attempt to follow the Ethiopians and Rowbury. “But it’s a good step for me.” Hall is aiming towards the 3k at US Indoors and US XC nationals.

1	Kalkidan Gezahegn		ETH	8:46.19
2	Genzebe Dibaba		ETH	8:47.01
3	Shannon Rowbury		USA	8:47.18
4	Barbara Parker		GBR	8:52.90
5	Sara Hall		USA	8:55.17
6	Hannah England		GBR	8:56.72
7	Desiree Davila		USA	9:00.73
8	Frances Koons		USA	9:02.75
9	Christin Wurth-Thomas		USA	9:04.75
10	Amy Mortimer		USA	9:09.86
11	Lennie Waite		GBR	9:18.76
DNF	Megan Metcalfe		CAN
DNF	Julia Howard		CAN

More Action

Mens 60 meter hurdles: Terrence Trammell won in commanding fashion and equaled the fastest time of the indoor season, 7.49. Second place, Eric Mitchum, was 0.12 back in 7.61.

Womens 400 meters: Dee Dee Trotter won in 53.08 after taking the lead early in the race and stumbling with the rest of the pack right after the 200 mark. Second place was Kineke Alexander of in 53.54.

Damu Cherry won a close 60 meter hurdles in 8.00.

Men's 400: Bershawn Jackson passed Renny Quow in the last 50 m to get the win in 46.86 after Lionel Larry fell 200 m into the race.

Women’s 200m: Shalonda Solomon edged Ashley Kidd

Girls' Junior Mile: Lipari Blasts 31 Second Final 200 for Win Over McGee

With a field of eight runners from around the country, the girls' field was set up for a great race. Cory McGee came into the race with a win at last week's Millrose Games and appeared to be the favorite.

McGee looked like she was going to have a repeat of last week all the way until the final lap. McGee took the lead from the gun and looked strong and comfortable as the rest of the field strung out behind her. She passed the 400 in 71.75, with the field running in single file behind her and Emily Lipari (fifth last week at Millrose) running right on her shoulder. The order remained the same through 800 meters, which was passed in 2:26. The rest of the runners were content to sit on McGee and after 1,000 meters the top five (McGee, Lipari, Joanna and Kathleen Stevens and McKinzie Schultz) broke away from the field. This group passed 1,200 meters in 3:39 at which point McGee threw in a surge in an attempt to break away. She quickly gained a few yards on Lipari and Joanna Stevens moved up into second place.

With one lap to go the race got exciting as Lipari dug deep and threw in an impressive kick, catching and passing the leaders with 100 meters to go. She extended her lead to about 10 meters by the time she broke the tape in a new meet record of 4:46.77. The former record was 4:48.83, which was set by Jilian Smith in 2008.

Lipari kicked a 31 second last lap, and ran 2:20 for her second 800. After doing all of the work, McGee ended up in third place, getting nipped at the line by Joanna Stevens. (4:50.02 to 4:50.06.) As appears to be custom with the Stevens twins, Kathleen Stevens finished close behind her sister in 4:52.03.

About the race, Lipari said that it was “the best I've felt in a really long time.” She had nothing but respect for the rest of the field, “The field was amazing,” said Lipari. ““They're awesome and they pushed me all the way through.”

1	Emily Lipari		USA	4:46.77
2	Joanna Stevens		USA	4:50.02
3	Cory Ann McGee		USA	4:50.06
4	Kathleen Stevens		USA	4:51.03
5	Katrina Coogan		USA	4:59.86
6	Claudia Francis		USA	5:00.05
7	McKinzie Schulz		USA	5:05.67
8	Alanna Poretta		USA	5:07.95

Junior boys mile: Schellberg Can't Pull Off Double

Pat Schellberg came in with a Millrose win in his pocket, and he took it out in 64.2 through 400 m with the field trailing him closely. From 600 to 1000 m Schellberg tried unsuccessfully to break free, at times gaining slight separation, but by 1200 m the field had bunch back up on him, and at the bell Alex Hatz, Ammar Moussa, and Adam Cotton flew by him, with Hatz quickly building a sizeable lead that he kept until the finish in 4:12.08.

1	Alex Hatz		USA	4:12.08
2	Ammar Moussa		USA	4:14.13
3	Adam Cotton		GBR	4:15.04
4	Billy Ledder		USA	4:16.12
5	Pat Scheillberg		USA	4:21.01
6	Thomas Devries		CAN	4:22.15
7	Thomas Kehl		USA	4:22.40
8	Craig Lutz		USA	4:23.00
9	Will Antkowiak		USA	4:43.51

*Full meet results here

More Coverage
*RRW: Lagat Rocks the Reggie With American 5-k Record
*Lagat Photo Gallery

On the Message Boards:
*Official Reebok Mens 5000M Thread
*Official Will Leer Bandwagon
*Reebok Games - Men's Masters Mile - Does Anyone Care?

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